ABC's of an Old Family
by AllShadesOfGreen
Summary: Collection of drabbles, each sporting a letter of the alphabet and love; whether it be familial or romantic. (AusHun family, HRE/Chibitalia, Austria/Hungary)(Is K for now; Rating will be bumped up a few chapters later-I think)
1. Adolescence and Bashfulness

ABC's of an Old Family

A is for Adolescence

Characters: Italy Veneziano, Austria

So, we all know that Austria oh-so-lately discovered that his little maid was actually a boy when his voice changed. He was still a bit agitated and shocked at the discovery, mainly because of his stubbornness to not get to know his servants. Who could blame him; he was a nobleman, trained to believe that he was far too important to deal with a couple of maids.

Ah, how he regrets it now that the shock came to him. If only Hungary told him a little earlier, say, a couple hundred years prior to all of, well, this.

But then, such disappointment he would have brought unto Holy Rome. Yes, he could see Holy Rome's crestfallen expression if the news ever came to him. And then, he'd rant at the nobleman, just showing how embarrassed he was for falling for another boy.

Austria sighed dejectedly by the chair he was sitting at.

Alas, Holy Rome was not back from the war. He would not be coming back.

Austria knew this. He still felt the pity he had for Italy when France broke the news to them all. The weather was so sad, like they were that ungodly hour.

The nation shook his head. No, he was not going to bring it up again... Somehow, thinking of Holy Rome these days cold drive him to depression.

"Mister Austria, sir?" A timid voice spoke to him. Austria turned his head to acknowledge Italy's presence.

"Ah, Italy, just in time," He said to the young adolescent nation.

Yes, adolescent. The boy standing in front of Austria now was no longer wearing a silly maid's dress, Austria made sure of that. Italy was now wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and brown leather pants, but he still wore the apron and the bonnet, which the older nation disapproved of but never doted on him on the matter.

"Go and brew me some tea, would you?" Austria commands him. Wordlessly, Italy followed his orders, and walked out of the room.

Behind Austria's glasses, was a pair of worried eyes trailing off the direction Italy had went. Italy was much quieter than usual ever since France's visit and that made him and Hungary worry to no end. Sure, Austria may seem like a cold and ruthless young master, but he had a heart like everyone else.

And once more, his mind drifts off to Holy Rome.

Had he not died in battle, Austria would have seen him grow into his teen years. He would have grown bigger, stronger, and more powerful like he always dreamed he would be. And he would have spent the rest of his life with Italy.

These days though, Austria was glad for one thing.

As he sat on the piano stool playing a melody, with Italy sitting next to him, he thanked God that he was able to at least watch the boy beside him grow up, unlike Holy Rome.

B is for Bashfulness

Characters: Holy Roman Empire, Italy Veneziano

A boy, no older than eleven or twelve, sat on his chair with a bored expression as he read a ridiculously large paperback novel that Austria had instructed him to read. Sighing expectantly, the Holy Roman Empire was sorely tempted to slam the boring old book shut. Seriously, couldn't this wait? A book about a Greek war wasn't going anywhere, after all.

He could be out in the glaring sunshine, chasing squirrels or rabbits or some kind of bird, or maybe he could converse with a villager or two. Even better, he could be hanging out with Italy, and she might teach him a little bit of art or anything of the sort.

Holy Rome paused for a bit to stare at the ceiling of his study with a dreamy expression. Ah~ Italy. Thoughts of the little maid always managed to distract him and put him in a blissful mood. Yeah, sure, sometimes Austria would catch him slacking off with that dopey expression on his face and reprimand him for not taking his studies seriously, but could you blame him? Not that he'd admit anything, but he was a desperately hopeless romantic who wants nothing more than for Italy to become one with him-

'That was too strong a term,' thought Holy Rome as he blushed at nothing. Ahem, join him in his quest for eventual international dominance would be a safer way to put it.

A frightened squeak came to his ears, followed by a loud thump. Startled, Holy Rome abandoned the book he was reading to check out the noise.

He certainly wasn't expecting a half-buried Italy squeaking for help underneath a pile of several heavy books, her curl bobbing cutely as she struggled to get out.

Holy Rome's first instinct was to get rid of all the offending books. He didn't see Italy's thankful face, because then he would have blushed so hard and- oh, we all know how angry Holy Rome could look if he was ever caught red-faced. He then helped Italy onto 'her' feet, and that had involved unintentional hand-holding. That certainly would not have helped- the mere thought of physical contact with Italy makes Holy Rome explode with giddiness.

"Grazie, Holy Rome," Italy smiled at the empire, which made said empire blush anyway.

"I-It's nothing…" He says, turning away so that Italy would not glimpse the red on his cheeks. "What were you doing before you fell? That was very dangerous, you could have been hurt a lot worse than you already are," He voiced his concern for 'her'.

Timidly, the auburn-haired nation rubs the back of 'her' head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for having you worry, Holy Rome. Austria wanted me to get a book, but it was too far up so I had to use something to give me a little boost." 'She' gestured to the pile of books that once served as 'her' footstool.

"Oh, well, then you should have just came to me for help, instead of going through all of that trouble,"

"Oh, but I didn't want to disturb Holy Rome while he's studying- he always looks so cute when he does!" Italy giggled cutely.

If it was possible for the Holy Roman Empire to blush any more than he already did, he would have never known.

Author's Note: Hey-O! See, I just got this idea while browsing through the Italy/Holy Rome stories (was anyone else confused when they saw Holy Rome/Reader? That'd be relieving to know, thanks,), and suddenly I was reminded of StarNerve's alphabet fics (THANK YOU!:D ). Check hers out! They are AWESOME.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this little story I made, but don't worry! There's more to the alphabet than just 'A' and 'B', after all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Believe me, if I did then other nations involved in WW2 would have been canon.


	2. Clean

ABC's of an Old Family- Chapter 2

C is for Clean

Characters: Austria, Hungary

Hungary hummed to herself a merry little tune as she wiped the stains off the dinner plates. No offending stain could survive under Hungary's watchful eyes, so Mister Austria expects nothing but clean dishes and kitchenware by the time she was done.

Feeling the warm water run through her fingers, she carefully scrubs a particularly stubborn blotch of rust that was latching on to the pot like barnacles to a ship. This didn't damper her smile, however.

But the rust was so frustratingly resistant.

'Oh, I see how it is, Mister Rust,' She stops for a moment, and then smirks determinedly at the rust. 'You want to play rough, huh? No matter, I'll put you away and leave a mark of utmost perfection by the time I'm done with you.' She gives her towel a rather strong squeeze, bubbles leaking out of it, and she didn't even give adman when it wet her sleeve. 'After all, I wouldn't want Mister Austria to be disappointed.'

And so began her furious scrubbing, and not at all did Hungary mind the strange looks given to her by the rest of the maids who were also washing beside her.

They were all thinking the same thing; "Geez, Hungary, it was just rust."

Oh yes, just some rust that had managed to irk her and activate the overbearing beast inside of her.

These maids just didn't seem to understand the way she worked. And we aren't even touching at the subject that she's an embodiment of the country known as Hungary.

Hungary was a very kind woman, and not to mention disturbingly loyal. Oh, and because of that loyalty, no one had wanted to be on her bad side. They saw what she could do- All they needed was a certain silver-haired Prussian to come in and they would see a spectacular fight unfold. Her motherly instincts added fuel to that fire.

Only a few people, specifically the aforementioned Prussian and a tiny Italian maid, knew that she had a thing for their master. Gilbert often came to tease her for that very reason. Feliciano kept quiet about it.

So, they were the only people who knew the reason of her everyday shows of determination. Austria's expectations were quite high, so it was quite hard to please him (even if you left him in a room with his grand piano and a barrel of coffee).

Well, Austria did always think that she was his best maid. She didn't see that yet, is all.

Which was why Austria turned up at the cleaning stations later, holding a cake he made himself.

"Excuse me, but may I borrow Hungary for a moment?" He asked them. The brown-haired woman turned around at the mention of her name, and pointed to herself in question. Austria rolled his eyes. "Yes, Hungary, you."

Hungary was fighting the blush that was threatening to rise up her cheeks. She set down the pot and sponge, giving the pot a look that had meant that they were going to settle their predicament later.

"Whatever do you need me for, Mister Austria?" She asked him. Austria coughed, and looked to the other direction.

"I'm sorry, but could we bring this to another room? I don't feel comfortable with telling you in a room as crowded as this." He states, and began to walk towards the other room.

Hungary could not look at him as he said those words. Was she in trouble? Did she do something wrong? She was shaking, as she dearly hoped that either was not the case.

The nobleman noticed her shaking. As if reading her thoughts, he paused to look at her. "Stop being so nervous, you're not in trouble."

That did nothing to convince her otherwise, nope, not at all.

They arrived at the next room, where it stored a lot of fresh produce.

"Hungary, I have been observing your performance these past few years, and I have to say, they surpass everyone else's. I'm quite impressed." He tells her, with one hand on his hip and a look of kind recognition upon his face.

The female nation's heart fluttered after hearing his praise. He was praising her, wasn't he? For a moment she thought that she was dreaming.

"I've excused you to express my gratitude for your hard work." He handed her the small cake in the plate that he had been carrying this whole time. Austria blushed slightly. "I… made this myself- please forgive me if it tastes bad."

Hungary simply stood idly on the spot, as she could not believe what was happening. After what felt like minutes of awkward silence, she snapped out of her paralyzed state, and shook her head. "Mister Austria, you did not have to do this for me," she says, heart breaking slightly as she did.

Austria wouldn't have it. "I must insist. You try so hard keeping everything clean. I only feel that it's right to do this. Well, that and you would be throwing away one hour's worth of mixing and stirring and waiting."

By the time Austria left her to her own devices again, she seemed to forget all about her ferocious battle with the stain that was still clinging onto the steel pot.

And, for the next several months, no pieces of kitchenware or dinnerware are left stained and every nook and cranny of the mansion was clean.

Ciao~

Author's Note: Hey… I'm still feeling quite depressed with the first ones (A and B), and this one was a little too long to fit into a double chapter, so I'd just leave it like this.

I AM SO SORRY. This is the first multi-chapter thing that I'm releasing on Fanfiction, and I think I'm messing up the alphabet thing- WAS I MESSING UP THE ALPHABET THING?!

It's either that or I'm getting paranoid 'cause of the lack of sleep I had last night. Yeah, it's definitely the sleep thing.

So, uh, please Read and Review, hope you liked it, and I'll try updating as fast as I can.

Disclaimer: Hetalia isn't mine, it belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. ALL HAIL HIMARUYA.


	3. Damsel and Embarrassment

Hetalian Old Alphabet-3

D is for Damsel

Characters: Holy Roman Empire, Italy Veneziano

If Holy Rome was feeling more embarrassed than he already did, that would have explained the uncharacteristic clumsiness in his sword-wielding skills.

A little 'girl' was hiding up in the tree, holding a squirrel tightly in her grasp and feigning terror.

"Oh, were could Holy Rome be? Wah~ I need help…" came her pleas. Holy Rome could swear that the squirrel was suffocating because of the tightness.

What were they even doing, to begin with?

Well, earlier today, our dear Holy Roman Empire was reading in the study, understanding each consonant-cluster in such boredom. Italy came and convinced him to stop his studying for a while to play with her. Not one to disappoint the maid (and he sure wasn't planning on doing so), Holy Rome agreed. Besides, a little time alone with Ita-chan was a rare thing for this lovesick soul. He wouldn't miss it for the world.

And so that was why they were out in the gardens, playing damsel in distress.

"D-don't worry Italy, I'll save you!" said the young empire, holding up his sword with some difficulty. Holy Rome flinched inwardly in disgust. Honestly, that was such an overused line- oh great, he was starting to think like Austria…

Italy's expression immediately turned to one of relief as she saw Holy Rome with his big sword. "Yay~ Holy Rome has come to save me~" She says with a grin that has (so far) never failed to make Holy Rome trip on his shoes.

Holy Roman Empire wouldn't trudge with a sword. He was used to this kind of weight because of all those battles he's been fighting. He ran to the foot of the tree, where supposedly, he was to fight a beast.

And there it was- in all its slimy, scratching, furry glory- the beast itself. Snout underneath its very itchy armpit and its tail wagging along with the thumping of its foot, Chestnut the dog was waiting for its master to come across him.

Sure enough, Holy Rome waved his trusty sword towards his dog's itching form. "Chestnut! Only you stand in my way of my princess and I's way! Prepare yourself!" said Holy Rome with a challenging look upon his pale face. Chestnut didn't seem frightened of his master's threat, rather, was overjoyed with his master's presence. It was not everyday Holy Rome would play with his dog, after all.

The dog barked happily before dashing up to its master (itchiness long forgotten). With a surprised yelp, Holy Roman Empire fell on the grass with his dog wagging its tail up high as it covered his face with sloppy kisses.

"Ch-Chestnut! No, you're supposed to attack me! Not drown me!" cried the boy as his face and outfit began to be soaked in his dog's saliva. Up in the tree, Italy was watching the scene unfold, and she could not help but laugh. Italy laughed until she was clutching her sides and tears were coming out of her eyes. Holy Roman Empire blushed as soon as he realizes that Italy had been watching.

Italy was still laughing, and, in the midst of all the excitement, lost her footing. Seconds later, she was just hanging limply from the branch with a scared expression on her face.

"H-Holy Rome, help me!" She cried out in help, and this time, she wasn't faking it. Holy Rome looked up to see his damsel in true trouble. He could feel his ears pounding with blood, and the branch threatened to break.

Everything was a blur after this. Holy Roman Empire quickly clambered onto his dog. "Chestnut, hurry!" And there, sitting upon his noble steed, he charged towards Italy. The branch broke, sending Italy hurling towards the earth. Italy closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.

But it never came, and instead she fell on top of Holy Rome. The blonde nation felt Italy shivering in fear in his arms. Then, Italy, realizing that she was no longer in danger, stopped shaking. She looked up to see the concerned face of Holy Roman Empire.

"Are you alright, Italy?" he asked.

Italy smiled and hugged him. "Yes, grazie, Holy Rome,"

Only just then did Holy Rome realize that he was in extremely close contact with his damsel.

E is for Embarrassment (ce que, I'm overusing this word,)

Characters: Austria, Holy Roman Empire

Austria's skillful hands found their way onto the piano, lightly tapping the keys in sync with the chords on the stack of parchment in front of him. The melodic tune of Austria's grand piano filled the room, and the maids outside were sorely tempted to just stand there and listen.

The bespectacled nation kept to himself, eyes closed and ears listening to only his music. Ah, if only more people were here to listen to his sonatas and songs, they would surely applaud him.

Speaking of people…

The nation's ears then detected the familiar sound of Italy's cries. Cringing lightly, Austria stopped for a moment. He stood up, and walked towards the window, muttering something about Italy being 'far too noisy'. When he was finally in front of the grand fragile mass of windowpanes, he was greeted by a familiar sight.

There, under the shade of one of the many oak trees on their property, sits a red-faced Holy Roman Empire and a horrified-looking Italy, who promptly ran in the opposite direction soon after. Austria could practically hear Holy Rome's dejected sigh as he watched him walk back into the manor. Austria went back to the piano stool, and waited.

Soon enough, Holy Roman Empire entered the room, still wearing the blush on his pale cheeks.

"Oh no, you're making that face again, that is very unsightly, Holy Roman Empire." Austria says to him without looking up. The noble only got a groan in reply. Sighing, Austria faced the boy. "I don't fancy nosing into other's business, but what is it this time?" He asks.

Holy Rome's first reaction was to stare at him oddly. Was Austria not feeling well today? Later on, he realized that he needed someone to confide in, so why not?

The small empire looked away. "This time, I'm sure that Italy would hate me…" he mumbles.

Austria scoffs. "Give her a few hours and an afternoon nap; it would be like nothing happened."

Holy Rome ignored his remark. "I found her sleeping under the oak tree and, oh I-I just couldn't help myself!" He covers his face with his hat in shame, blushing profusely.

"Couldn't help yourself with what, exactly?" Austria prods on, hoping to hear more about the empire's little tale. Holy Rome muttered something that the aristocrat could not exactly catch over the black hat. "Speak up a little, Holy Roman Empire."

"I-I watched her …while she was sleeping…" He said a little more loudly this time. Austria had the why-am-I-not-surprised look on his face; he could only be so thankful that the black hat covered most of the empire's vision. "Sh-she looked so peaceful, I couldn't stop myself… But then this bee flew up to her, and it sort of looked that it was going to sting," Holy Rome swallowed the lump in his throat, and continued his tale. "I tried to shoo it away, but then I ended up hitting Italy's face… I think she might have been worries that I was angry at her because I blushed so hard it made me look like it…" And then he started to whimper.

Once more, Austria scoffs. "That was what you were worried about?" Awkwardly, he places an arm around Holy Rome's whimpering form, and pats his shoulder in a somewhat fatherly manner. "She will get over it, I guarantee so. It is Italy, after all."

"But, I don't think I will get over it… Because, um… You know…" Holy Rome's words were reduced to an incoherent mess of words, but Austria did not need words to know that Holy Roman Empire was very embarrassment prone- particularly around this Mediterranean nation known as Italy.

They both knew this. Though, it was not until supper time did they move from that spot, Austria patting him on the shoulder and Holy Rome needing his support.

Author's Note: Ah, I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update, I guess it's my laziness catching up to me. I promise to come up with more exciting plots, 'cause this is mostly a bundle of pointless fluffs that are heavily disorganized and horribly fricking written.

Anyways, I hope you didn't get too bored with this fiction… Please read and review!

Disclaimer: Nope, do not own Hetalia.


	4. Family

Hetalian Old Alphabet- Chapter 4

F is for Family

Characters: Austria, Hungary, Holy Roman Empire, Italy Veneziano, Prussia

Hungary giggles as she feels the warm summer wind flap against her and the checkered blanket, her hair flying freely in the wind. In front of her was Austria, holding the other end of the blanket.

"Hmm? What's so funny, Hungary?" He asks her.

"Oh, it's just that… I don't know how long it's been since we've spent time like this," she replied, sneaking a peek at the two children over at the cliff as she and Austria set the blanket down. Said children were too engrossed into their activities to notice, one of them ogling at the beautiful view before him, and one staring at the former with a lovesick expression on his face.

Austria sorts with what sounded like pride. "You should be thankful that I even agreed to let you- with my supervision no less," Truth to be told, Austria was glad to come. He was just really relieved that Prussia wasn't with them today to check on his brother.

"Spit it out already, you just wanted to come with us," says Hungary with a mocking grin that she tried her best to hide as she set the plates and cutlery. To this comment, Austria attempted to ignore it as he sticks his nose into the air.

"Holy Roman Empire needed a break, so I let him. I was only so kind to allow Italy this break too." This was true to a certain degree. There was no way in the name of Hungary's frying pan would he admit that Hungary was right. He paid no mind to her giggles, but he did catch the two children having a moment of their own on the cliff. He sighed. "Holy Roman Empire! Italy! Don't play around over there, you could fall and I would have to deal with Prussia damaging my ears if you did!"

Catching the shrill and stern tone of his voice, Holy Rome and Italy turned around. Italy smiled and waved. "Okay Austria-san!" Grabbing Holy Rome's hand (which in turn made him blush several shades of red), he and the blushing empire made their way towards the nobleman. Running through Holy Rome's mind were thoughts about how warm and soft Italy's hand was.

Once he concluded that the children were a good tad away from the danger of falling, Austria then proceeded to help Hungary set the plates and cutlery.

Nothing like a peaceful day like this…

No annoying political disputes, no Italy trying to escape work, and best of all, no Prus-

"Kesesesese! What do we have here?" A certain silver-haired nation sneered at them from up on a tree.

Oh, why did he even bother…?

Hungary rolled her eyes at the sound of obnoxious laughing. "We didn't invite you, Prussia."

Prussia jumped down with his conquistador's cloak swishing behind him. "Yeah, yeah, but how come none of you are being grateful that I'm gracing you all with my awesomeness?" He says, his smirk never leaving him.

"Prussia?" Holy Roman Empire stared in question at the said Prussian, with Italy following in tow. Italy's eyes lit up with joy and recognition as he saw the laughing nation.

"Prussia! Did you come to have a picnic with us too?" asked Italy.

"Oh, so you're having a picnic? Perfect timing, I was starting to feel hungry," Prussia quoted his statement by rubbing his growling stomach.

Austria stood up in indignation. "Absolutely not. I will not tolerate your absurd presence, Prussia." he said to Prussia while sticking his nose up into the air.

Prussia simply waved his hand in dismissal at that comment. "Ah, don't be such a stick in the mud Specs, besides, I wanted to see how my little bruder was doing, am I right or am I awesomely right Holy Rome?"

Holy Rome just sighed. "I could do without you just fine, Preuβen." replied Holy Rome with a blank look on his face.

"Aw, come on, seriously, we could all use a break from our wars, right? Don't even try saying that you don't agree with me," Prussia shrugged. Italy nods in agreement.

"I really think that Big Brother Prussia should join us! It's not often that we get together without us trying to strangle each other," Italy told them with his face scrunched up in determination to let his big brother join in their peace.

"See! Ita-chan agrees with me!"

Letting out one final sigh, Austria caved in. "Fine, I suppose I could let this one time slide, you war-maniac." Prussia fisted the air ad went to bother the children.

Hungary then flinched and looked at Austria like he was crazy.

"But, Mr. Austria-"

"Just let him, he won't leave us alone if we didn't let him join." He whispered to so that Prussia would not hear. Hungary got distracted halfway because of his voice. It's not like Prussia can hear them anyway, he was too distracted Italy and Holy Roman Empire, with the latter glaring at him as Prussia ogled over little Italy. Seems like hanging out with Spain rubbed off on him.

Hungary sighed, but she was still reluctant to place a fifth plate for their visitor. 'Oh well, if Mister Austria says it's fine, I guess I could roll with it,' she says, shrugging as she placed the salad bowl. Truly, she could deal with Prussia, but if Austria wouldn't want Prussia in their midst it gave her a perfect reason to kick butt.

Meanwhile, since Austria permitted her to paint, Italy took out his art materials, and started to capture the perfect view before him. Holy Rome was right behind him, discreetly trying to hold her hand. Unfortunately for him, Prussia notices this, and smirks.

"Hey, Ita-chan, I think Holy Rome wants to help you paint!" said Prussia, while the said empire glared at him with red on his face- from embarrassment or mild fury, we will never know. The auburn-haired nation beamed at Holy Rome, who blushed harder, if that was even possible.

"Grazie, Holy Rome! Here, you could help me paint the roofs of the villas over there," He said, as he pushed the chocolate-tipped paintbrush to him, and got one of his own to dip in blue. "I'll be coloring the sky!"

Somehow, the stammering empire managed to paint with Italy in peace, with Italy humming a little tune as she brushed the blue-tipped paintbrush across the canvas.

The painting was halfway done by the time Hungary had called them to eat. Holy Roman Empire and Italy tidied up their art materials, and tucked them away for the time being as they wandered over to where Hungary and the rest are.

"Alright everyone, dig in!" said Hungary with her maiden's spirit aflame.

"Ve~ Thank you for the food!" With her mouth watering at the sight of delicious food, Italy immediately attacked the Bolognese the Hungarian prepared with Austria's permission. He couldn't be any happier.

"This is awesome-class food Hungary!" remarked Prussia, who had his face stuffed with sandwiches. "Though, I bet you couldn't top the awesome me at cooking, kesesese!" While laughing, bits of food were spraying from Prussia's mouth and landed onto Holy Rome and Austria, who both looked away muttering something about proper table manners.

Hungary just shook her head, sighing and chuckling as she ate her piece of the salad. Looking around, it looked like they were one, big, happy family. Silently, she thanked God for bestowing such a lovely moment among them.

The wind blew against them, and whoever passed by the hill that afternoon would be lucky to hear the sounds of laughter emitting from it.

Author's Note: I am so sorry! I've been feeling down lately, and the untimely death of my dog isn't helping either. Wah~ I really miss her…

To anyone who's been bearing with me and this horrible, _horrible_ fiction, thank you so much. I don't understand why I seem like I don't try hard enough to make good stories…

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Hetalia. All strings are attached to Himaruya, the creator, so that would mean I own nothing. *sigh* That last sentence sounded corny


	5. Gibberish and Housemaid

Hetalian Old Alphabet- 5

G is for Gibberish

Characters: Holy Roman Empire, Italy Veneziano

It was the only thing that Holy Rome could say to her most of the time- Just a lot of incoherent gibberish. Austria could never tolerate this. It was 'not proper' as the nobleman would put it. But he couldn't help it! Was it his fault that his heart beat hardly out of its own accord? It was because it was getting harder to breath, he always used that excuse.

It may be an excuse but it was true. In one of those romance novels Austria forced him to read, well, he remembered scoffing at such antics. 'Heart beats fast, knees grow weak'- all this from falling in love? He just wouldn't believe it.

He can regret laughing at it. Everything that 'unreliable' book told him became real at the instant he saw his love scrub at the floors determinedly. Well, all that and becoming unbelievably clumsy and prone to talk gibberish.

Gibberish… One day he will surpass it.

That day soon became known as today, decided the young empire.

Finding Italy was no big deal; she would either be out sweeping the courtyard or playing in the garden at this time (if asked why he would know, Holy Rome would just flee the question). So, giving the impression that he was simply looking around his manor, Holy Rome looked for the little Italian maid. He was just about to go check in one of his carefully tended gardens when a shy hand tapped his shoulder. Looking behind him, he saw a trembling but otherwise smiling Italy.

It took Holy Rome all the control he had over his body to not jump in surprise… or to melt in a puddle.

"Good afternoon, Holy Rome," squeaked the maid.

Looking away, Holy Rome managed to muter a hello. "Hello Italy,"

"So, um…" Italy shyly directed her gaze to something she had been holding. It was a bundle of art supplies. "Austria-san gave me permission to do whatever I wished for the rest of the afternoon, and I was wondering if Holy Rome would like to paint with me…" said Italy, with a very bashful expression on his face. Holy Roman Empire noticed her trembling hands, as if she was expecting a no from him.

'This is my chance to get closer! Damnit… My throat can't go dry now,' before his throat could be completely parched, he nodded his head. Italy's expression brightened.

"Yay! Let's go to the garden!" Excited and happy that he had agreed, Italy grabbed his hand and started to drag him towards the garden he had been meaning to go to. Holy Rome let the maid drag him- not like he could do anything else; his crush WAS holding his hand after all. Holy Roman Empire had to fight the several incomprehensible words that were trying to escape his mouth. Oh, here we go again with the nasty gibberish...

They had been spending the last few minutes trying to find something interesting to paint. Some things that Holy Rome pointed at, like the canopies of the trees or the occasional street that the garden overlooked had captured Italy's interest, but she insisted that there might be something more. Dejectedly, the two sat down on the grass.

"Ah! Holy Rome, there's nothing to paint!" The maid despaired, with her small fist trying to squeeze the paintbrush in it. Italy rarely ever got frustrated- it was only ever during Turkey's quests to invade the waters in her boundaries.

"Those streets still looked interesting to me," muttered Holy Rome. He really did think that it was enough, despite Italy's rejections.

Italy heard him, and sighed. "It didn't feel lively enough… I'm sorry,"

Holy Rome ignored this, once again looking at the streets. To his surprise, it was now crowded with people. Exasperatedly, he tugged Italy's sleeve. "What do you know; now it's full of life."

As soon as Italy's amber-colored eyes met the now lively street before her, she beamed. "You're right Holy Rome!"

It took a while before Holy Rome realized that he held gibberish-less conversation with Italy. And when he did, it was already time to go back to the manor.

H is for Housemaid

Characters: Hungary, Italy Veneziano

A housemaid is a servant who takes care of most of the things in the house. They are loyal. Or rather- they were _paid_ to be loyal. Housemaids can go away as soon as they realize that they cannot be paid- that was how life was back then. Some were not so lucky. There were also housemaids that behaved differently- those ones who were overwhelmed by the power and therefore had no choice but to serve.

It was one thing Italy and Hungary had in common. They simply _can't_ go away that easy- they WERE under Austria's rule, after all.

That was why, one morning, all but them were left in the mansion. Holy Rome left that morning too…

When Italy was sent outside to fetch water (a ploy for him to meet Holy Roman Empire one last time), Austria explained to Hungary what had happened. It turned out that the household was far too chaotic, and that Austria was in a very tight spot among the other Germanics and nations in the Holy Roman Empire.

And thus, began their life as the only three in the manor.

But it was all the more reason for them to stick together. Hungary had always considered them a family; that was why she treated them as such- Italy especially. Once, they even made a promise to each other, that they would gain freedom together. Of course, that promise would be broken in the future, but they didn't mind.

On bright days when both of them felt lonely, they would go back to the Holy Roman Empire household to reminisce.

"Ve~ Hungary, remember when my voice changed? Austria's face was priceless!" said a grown-up Italy to an older Hungary. Hungary giggled.

"You're right! Oh, how I wished cameras were invented back in those days!" she replied. How could she forget? She was actually considering telling Austria that Italy was really a boy back then- after playing his pretty music, of course. But when they heard Italy singing, Austria's expression was indescribable. "Oh! How about that time when France molested him over his piano?"… That was also when Hungary gained her obsess- *cough* love for men's romance.

Italy shuddered. "Ah, I think I was scarred for life that day… Big Brother France sure likes to flirt,"

They would go on like this until the dusk reached them, and it was time to leave the abandoned building. It was a shame to leave. But a nation's duty calls. They would bade goodbye to one another, and go their separate ways.

One day, when they were at the mansion again, Hungary decided to ask.

"Hey, Ita-chan," she began, using her nickname for him too. The auburn-haired man beside her looked. "Did you ever feel like you wanted to go back to being a family?"

And Italy opened his eyes, looking quite surprised that she asked that. But as the shock came away, somberness filled his eyes despite the smile on his lips. "Ve~, I did. Well, minus the being a servant part. I always did think that Austria was my Papa, and you as my Mama, and that Holy Rome was something of a brother…" He then tore his eyes away from her and gazed forlornly at the broken windows and creeping ivy of the mansion before him. "I miss the old times,"

Even though Hungary told him nothing, they both got the message that they were just thinking much of the same thing.

Author's Note: Hello, and back again for another chapter! Please tell me I did it right… I don't think maids got paid back then, did they? Anyways, please tell me your thoughts on this story (even though this is technically not a story; just a bunch of mindless plot), and stay tuned for the next chapter. Damn, I need more chapter ideas…

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, anything and everything belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya-san.


	6. Insanity

ABC's of an Old Family- 6

I is for Insanity

Characters: Italy Veneziano, France, Austria, Hungary

Insanity was where Italy almost fell. And he never wants to go back to that state- EVER AGAIN. From the windows of madness, and inside of it- he's been there. Italy would not go back to that state even if he wanted. It was for his own good, after all.

It was a very rainy night sometime in the August of 1815, and his Big Brother France came to visit. The wars were over, to everyone's relief. Well, everyone's except France's. Austria, Hungary, and Italy could all tell that he was still sore about his defeat at the very peak of his reign, but he looked worse for wear.

France, a vibrant young country who had the pastime of showing his love through lewd ways, was now covered in scars and battle wounds. Though covered by layers of colorful clothing, they feared that France had even worse injuries underneath. Some that could heal in a short amount of time, and some that would most likely stay there longer than France himself would expect.

Italy, no longer wearing that silly old maid's dress, ran up to his big brother with a worried cry, Hungary and Austria following in tow. France fell unsteadily into Italy's shoulder, but Italy's grown-up body was enough to support him.

"Big Brother France, you should lie down," Italy told the older nation, but France shook his head, and looked at them with his unusually empty sapphire orbs.

"Non, I only came here to tell you something…" mumbled France, and Italy could see some tears wanting to leak out of the Frenchman's eyes.

"Wh-what is it…?" asked Hungary, although, in her heart, she already knew what was coming.

Ignoring her, France looked straight into Italy's amber-colored eyes, and grabbed his shoulders. He struggled to not break down in front of them all. "Italy, you've suffered enough, right?" He said, his voice cracking with every syllable that came out of his mouth. As much as it is painful for him to say it, France decided to be straight and be done with it.

Disregarding the fear in Italy's eyes, he spoke in a quiet mumble. "The Holy Roman Empire is no more."

Something disappeared inside Italy. Before, his insides were squirming like a bunch of anxious worms. But as soon as France uttered those words, he felt like there were no insides in him to begin with. Or rather; he felt nothing at all. More than anything, he felt dead. But then, with France still retaining the grip on his shoulders, Italy looked at Austria and Hungary in mild accusation. He was only greeted by the sight of Hungary sobbing into Austria's shoulder, while the owner of which was also shedding tears while patting her sides hopelessly trying to provide comfort when he himself had none. With the frustration and disbelief in him fueling his anger, he had enough force to push France off him, with Hungary clumsily catching the Frenchman.

"Don't say things that you don't understand!" the Italian had shouted at him, denial etching perfectly with his words. Tears were now leaking out of his closed eyes as he shakes his head in disagreement. The other three had only looked at him in shock. Italy glared at France with a fury none of them had ever expected from Italy. "Holy Roman Empire can't be gone, no! Just no! He wouldn't!" he screamed, kicking the muddy dirt. He had completely forgotten that it had been raining- completely forgotten that they had just been sitting there with the rain soaking their clothes.

Austria attempted to calm him down. "Italy, be reasonable-"

Italy now directed his glare at his captor. "Reasonable?! You expect me to be REASONABLE, Austria?! AFTER HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE'S GONE, YOU EXPECT ME TO BE CALM?!" Italy shouted at him, madness having gained control of him long ago. "I WON'T BELIEVE YOU FRANCE! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" He screamed again, and this time it had reached the alpine mountains that had separated Austria's borders from Switzerland's. In desperation, he started to pound his tightly curled fist into the barks of the nearby trees, not caring at all that he was hurting himself.

It took Austria, Hungary, and France's strength to get Italy to stop. He was wailing loud enough for even England to hear, but at least he stopped. Italy had retired to crying hopelessly onto Austria's already soaking wet torso.

"H-holy Rome… He promised me…" Italy said between hiccups as his tears continue to fall. "He promised me that he would see me after the war is over…" Memories of Holy Roman Empire leaving to go into war flooded his mind; the memories of him giving his love his deck brush, their first kiss, and the final goodbye. "H-he c-can't be dead Austria, he just can't be…"

Even when France has long since left the manor, Italy's tears didn't cease. Sadness was eating him inside and out.

A few days later, he took to confining himself in his room. Not even Austria's pretty piano music and Hungary's offers to cook pasta could coerce him to come out of his quarters. He just sat there for hours, with a blank look on his face.

But the tears didn't stop falling.

It seemed like he could never cry enough for Holy Rome. Why did he leave him? It was so unfair, thought Italy for hours on end. Why did he have to go away when they've finally discovered their love for each other? Just… why?

Begrudgingly, he got out of his bed, and dragged himself to the vanity that sat on the other side of the room. As his blank gaze met himself in the mirror, an unpleasant feeling swarmed inside of him.

Why is he the only one in the mirror? Shouldn't there be Holy Roman Empire beside him? And Hungary, and Austria, Prussia, his brother- why was he all alone in it?!

Later, when Austria came to check up on Italy, he found his dear servant passed out on the bed and the glass mirror in a million pieces- just like Italy's heart.

Author's Note: Oh my pimples, I am so sorry! I kind of got stuck with the plot, and I was running out of ideas for letters. I was also listening to Vocaloid's iNSaNiTy when I was thinking about it too…

Well, it's either that or I'm obsessed with it…

Please read and review, and look forward to a lot of half-ruined apologies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, or Vocaloid's iNSaNiTy. They belong to their respective owners.


	7. Jealousy (Part 1)

Hetalian Old Alphabet- Chapter 7

J is for Jealousy

Characters: Italy Veneziano, Holy Roman Empire, Austria

A slight warning, if you will: Human names used, and I'm very sorry about Holy Roman Empire's name…

Holy Roman Empire tended to underestimate things. Right after, he regrets not ever proceeding with caution, even if it is just a small fluffy bunny or a mouse that happened to be stealing some cheese from the cupboards. It was still a mystery to him that the scratches he got from that cat were still there. Maybe a street in Saxony had been raided?

Oh, we're getting off topic. Now before I continue destroying the fourth wall…

One day, our young empire discovered that Austria was to be holding a ball soon. In the midst of all the chaos in the empire, a ball sounded like a nice idea to the nobles that were attending.

There was a problem, though…

"What kind of country does not know how to dance?" Austria looked down in shock at the blonde nation, who sheepishly looked down onto his brown boots. In his mind, Holy Rome was scowling. He was an empire! Surely, fighting and history were the only things he needed to know?

Austria sighed and shook his head. "This would not do, Holy Roman Empire." Holy Rome watched as Austria sat down on his velvet piano stool, and stretched out his fingers. Just then, he beckoned a passing maid to come over. "Ah, good timing Rosa. Would you be as kind to go and fetch one of the noble girls from near the castle?" Rosa nodded in compliance, and both nations watched her disappear through the oak doors.

Holy Rome helped himself to a seat while he waited for… whatever it was he was supposed to wait for. Half an hour later, Rosa came back with an elegant- looking brunette around his own (physical) age. Holy Rome could tell with her clueless expression that she had no idea wat she was here for. Heck, he didn't even know what he should be doing right now!

"Thank you, Rosa." Rosa only nodded, before disappearing through the doors once more. Austria then turned to the noble girl. "What is your name, dear?" he asked while adjusting his glasses.

"Edelweiss, sir," she replied, looking quite intimidated by Austria's forwardness. In his best efforts to be kind to the girl, Austria kneeled down to her level, and smiled warmly.

"My name is Roderich Edelstein, and you may call me Herr Roderich if you wish." From his spot on the chair, Holy Rome saw Edelweiss nod. "Do you know why you are here, Edelweiss?" Edelweiss shook her brown head, and looked worried for a moment.

"I'm not in any trouble, am I?" Her deep violet eyes were flecked with fear and helplessness, and Holy Rome found them to be sort of… pretty.

"Oh no my dear- Heavens no," Austria shook his head as he stood up to his full height again. "Tell me, Edelweiss, do you dance?" he asked.

 _Oh. He's going to have her teach me, is he? -_ was what Holy Rome thought as he swallowed the lump in his throat. To his horror (and mild relief), Edelweiss nodded again. Austria's eyes sparkled with approval as he nodded in return.

"Alright then, let me introduce to you a friend of mine. Simon, come over here for a moment." The nobleman gestured for Holy Rome to come over, and, not one to disobey Austria's orders, he walked over to them. "Edelweiss, I would like you to meet Simon. I hope you get acquainted with him before we begin dancing." And as Austria turned his back on them to think about what song he would play, the girl turned to Simon and held out her hand while smiling sweetly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Simon." She said, and Holy Rome shook her hand. Strangely, the feeling of her hand in his felt good to him. Inwardly shaking his head, Holy Rome looked away from her.

"And to you too, Edelweiss." .By now, the empire was shaking inside his mind. For some reason, he felt giddy, and as far as his memory goes, Italy was the only one who had triggered this kind of reaction from him. He had to keep himself from growling in front of Edelweiss. Wasn't this feeling only supposed to be reserved for Italy…?

Remembering what Austria had thought him about socializing (which was a LOT- after all, social standing was vital to Austria) Holy Rome tried to make small talk. "So where are you from, Edelweiss?"

Meanwhile, a small child clad in maid's uniform was just passing by Austria's room, in hopes of finding who occupied it.

Italy Veneziano held the tray in his hands, trying to not spill the tea and cake on it. Luckily, it was not cooled yet, so Austria surely wouldn't scold him for this, right?

Peering in a small space through the polished oak door, Italy looked for any signs of Austria. "Mister Austria? Are you in here?"

When no reply came to his ears, Italy sighed. "Austria's not here either…" he mumbled sadly as he carried on to the next room. "I have to get this to him before it cools- I don't want to be yelled at again…" Italy bit his lip to refrain from whimpering, when all of a sudden, he heard giggling coming from the piano room.

Those giggles sounded too young to be Hungary's, and too flustered to be a maid's. Curious, Italy walked over to the room, and peeked in.

To his relief, he saw Austria sitting on the stool, but he was also surprised to see Holy Roman Empire and an unfamiliar girl. What surprised him even more was the fact that she was gently holding Holy Rome's arm, and was chatting with him aimlessly.

Something very unfamiliar to him bubbled inside of Italy. Why was he suddenly feeling angry? Wait, that wasn't entirely angry, was he feeling sad too? He was also feeling mild disgust, and slight envy. What was going on with him…? Furthermore, why was he suddenly feeling protective of Holy Rome?

With a slight gasp, Italy remembered the tea that was in the tray he was carrying. He then helped himself into the room, and tied to push whatever he felt earlier out of his mind.

"Mister Austria, I hope I'm not intruding," squeaked Italy. Surprised and suddenly afraid, Austria looked at his servant with anxiety, and nervously peeked at the girl from the corner of his worried eyes.

"A-ah, _Feliciano_ ,I see you have my tea," He said to the little nation with a warning glint in his violet orbs. Italy trembled, slightly as to not let the tea in his hands spill. He then remembered that they were not supposed to reveal their true identities as nations. Still trembling, Italy then went to set the tea down on the table next to Austria's piano, with said nation following in tow.

"Italy, we're not supposed to speak of our nation-being while there are guests!" Austria whispered to Italy in a harsh voice, making the smaller nation shudder in fear. Luckily, the girl had been too absorbed in her and Holy Rome's conversation to notice them.

"I-I'm sorry Mister Austria…" he whispered back, though it was lucky for Austria to even hear him. Austria simply sighed.

"Oh, I suppose it can't be helped," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve himself. "I'll let this time slide for today. Go sweep the courtyard, Feliciano."

With a little nod, Italy hurried to leave the room to retrieve his deck brush from the shed- but not without taking one final glance at Holy Rome and the girl. The horrible feeling from earlier returned to him at once. He shook his head, and closed the door behind him.

In the midst of his escape, he didn't notice Holy Roman Empire's longing blue eyes looking at him, before they were separated by the oak doors of the piano room.

Author's Note: I am so sorry. I don't even know what to make of this… This sounds kind of cliché, eh? Haha, I even frucked up Holy Rome's human name…

Please tell me what you think! Because I need that to keep going, I mean- what author doesn't? I'll update anyway, but reviews are rare for me and they are very much appreciated.

Also this may or may not be a two-part chapter… WHAT THE FRUK WAS I THINKING?!

Disclaimer: Hetalia and everything in it belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya-san.


	8. Jealousy (Part 2)

Hetalian Old Alphabet- Chapter 7, Part 2

J is for Jealousy

Characters: Holy Roman Empire, Italy Veneziano, Hungary

A week has passed since Edelweiss had been called to the manor. Every day, for those seven days, Holy Roman Empire's schedule- which had consisted of studying and patrolling his lands – has been added with the task of meeting up and learning how to dance with the human girl. He was sloppy, as Austria had so _nicely_ put it, and he needed to perfect these steps before the ball, which was in three days.

Wait, scratch the word needed, Holy Rome did mention that he didn't need to know how to dance. It was all for his image, he guessed. Quite honestly, though- his image was the last thing he cared to think about.

Dancing wasn't the only thing that bothered him this week.

Lately, he's been counting down the minutes to when Edelweiss would come knocking on the door. It was a daily routine for them as of late… he would answer the door and she would smile at him with perfectly white teeth. Just yesterday, both of them had flushed and beautifully red cheeks. It bothered him even more that this _annoying_ and _incredible_ feeling of happiness surged within him every time she would hold his hand and lead him in the steps of the dance. Before Edelweiss, this kind of feeling met him only at the mere thought of Italy. It felt good to him until another girl came into his life…

Speaking of Italy, her actions as of late were what bothered him the most.

Sometimes, she would look at him with this slightly desperate and sad expression, before masking it right away with her soft smile. With her eyes quickly hiding away all the traces of sadness with amber-colored warmth, Holy Rome could even swear that she was never even making those expressions in the first place.

If it weren't for the increased clumsiness and uncharacteristic subtleness with her chores, that former statement would have proven true for him.

What was even stranger was that she avoided the piano room, whenever he and Edelweiss practiced with Austria's musical accompaniment. She would avoid it if she could, but if Austria wanted his afternoon tea, she would bring it to him as quickly as possible, and leave without even looking at him. _That_ broke his empire's heart.

Now that he thought of it, why couldn't Austria just have instructed Italy to be his partner? It sounded selfish, and sure he would have collapsed from extreme proximity with her, but Italy knew how to dance as well… Austria probably didn't want her to skip chores…

*knock* *knock*

Italy turned his head to the source of the noise, and narrowed his eyes. This was happening to him a lot lately…

With an almost inaudible growl, he set down the damp towel he had been sing to wipe the windows with, and climbed down the ladder. Today, Austria told him that the windows needed to look spick-and-spam by tomorrow evening, so Italy had no time to waste if he wanted these windows to be all shiny. Besides, it gave him the perfect reason to say away from the piano room while their noble visitor was here.

Incredibly, today was not going well for him. Aside from the occasional spills from the barrel h brought with him, he was now tasked with opening the door for the girl on the other side.

Putting on his sweetest smile to cover up any sort of resentment, Italy turned the handle to open the door, revealing the familiar violet-eyed brunette.

"Hmm, oh, Good Afternoon," Edelweiss- Italy had learned of her name one night during practice- greeted him with a confused look on her face.

"Buon Pomerrigio," Italy returned the greeting in Italian. "Please, come in," 'I still don't feel like I should let you in,' Italy gestured to the interior of the house, to which Edelweiss had obliged and took herself inside.

"Aren't you the maid that brought Herr Roderich his tea last week?" Italy had to restrain himself from jumping. He was certainly hoping that she wouldn't remember him- what if she did overhear him when he brought the tea? Oh, Austria will have to scold him if she knew… Oh dear…

Nervously, he faced Edelweiss with his best fake smile. "S-si, that is me,"

Giggling, Edelweiss reached out her hand to him. "My name is Edelweiss, it is a pleasure to meet you," she had said to him- which in all honesty, was the last thing Italy expected her to do. Before this, Italy just thought that she was going to attack him, wait…that was a bit too extreme; thought that she would just leave him there and make a beeline for the piano room. Begrudgingly, he began to understand just what it is about that girl that ticks him off so much…

Italy blankly stared at the hand in front of him, and after a few moments, he finally took it in his own. After all, he could not refuse this introduction- God knows that Austria thought him well on proper etiquette, even if he is a maid.

"My name is Feliciano!" he squeaked, the happiness in his high-pitched voice being showing signs of strain, albeit barely.

Just then, a familiar boy in black happened to be on his way to the piano room, when he spotted the two. Edelweiss noticed him first, and waved a cheerful hello to him.

"Good Afternoon, Simon!" she greeted him with genuine joy in her voice, Italy had noticed, unlike the fake joy in his.

This captured Holy Rome's attention, and looked away with a blush when he realized that Italy was there. "Hello, Edelweiss, F-Feliciano," Immediately, Edelweiss went over to the empire with a smile on her pretty face.

"Are you heading to the piano room? Could I come with you, then?" Edelweiss asked him enthusiastically, and Italy _still_ can't figure out why, but suddenly, he was feeling possessive again. That feeling was returning to him, along with a bit of heartache. Just what was going on with him…?

The heartache worsened when he saw Holy Rome smile at her with a nod. Sure, it wasn't the first time Holy Rome smiled, but those were rare and only with Italy did they appear. Italy turned around to avoid Holy Rome's gaze as he shook his head. 'No, I can't think like this… Holy Rome can smile to anyone if he likes, not just me…' he thought as he started walking back to the window and his chores.

"F-Feli…?" Italy stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his name, ad looked back at Holy Rome, with Edelweiss at his arm.

"Si?" Italy tried his best to not sound dull, but he only barely succeeded. Though the rest of him had denied it, his eyes held a lot of emptiness sprinkled with a bit of sadness.

That seemed to have stopped the empire from what he was about to say. Holy Roman Empire looked away once more. "N-nothing, let's go Edelweiss,"

And without another word, he and Edelweiss left to Austria, leaving Italy there to continue his chores.

After Italy was done wiping some of the windows, he was then called to dinner. The noble girl should have left by now, and knowing that somehow calmed Italy. He wasn't any closer to finding out why though.

Throughout the meal, Italy ate his in silence. Next to him was Hungary, who threw him worried looks in between bites. This normally wouldn't have bothered him, but for some twisted reason it was ticking him off.

Hungary then decided to break the awkward atmosphere between them, and spoke. "How was cleaning the windows today, Ita-chan?" All day, Hungary had been cleaning elsewhere… probably in the many gardens of the manor.

Italy immediately stopped chewing and looked at her with an exasperated look. 'Of all the topics Big Sis Hungary wanted to talk about, it had to be _that_ one…' He then looked away, but he didn't continue chewing.

Hungary then knitted her eyebrows in determination and frowned. 'That just gave it away. Something is definitely wrong with him…' She then sighed, and put the fork in her hands on the food-filled plate.

"Italy, is there something bothering you?"

Alas, the magic words have been said. Italy's amber-colored eyes widened, and she froze in her spot of the chair. Sometimes, he really just wished that his big sis Hungary wasn't so nosy…

… But at the same time, he felt that he needed to tell somebody. Surely, someone like Hungary could help him on this problem…?

Swallowing the half-chewed food in his mouth, Italy nodded. "Would you like to talk about it, Ita?" He nodded again.

Hungary smiled, and places the little nation onto her lap. "Come now; tell Big Sis Hungary what's bothering you."

It didn't mean that he had to keep eye contact with her anyway, so Italy looked away from the older nation. "You see… I'm having this weird feeling in me, Hungary, and it…"

Author's Note: HEY-O!

Hehe, might have kind of sort of put it on a cliffhanger… PLEASE DON'T KILL ME I JUST REALLY CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE THIS INTO A THREE-PART CHAPTER I'M SORRYYYYYYYY!

Until I can figure out which word I'm going to use for letter 'K', I'm afraid I won't be saying anything. Some suggestions might help… and a dictionary.

I hope you don't hate me for this… and think that my story is lame. It probably is but…

*sigh* Please just tell me what you think…

Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya-san.


	9. Kegs and Lies

Hetalian Old Alphabet- Chapter 8

K is for Kegs

Characters: Austria, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire, other Germanic Countries

Austria grumbled in his seat as he held his mug of beer. His back was still hurting because Prussia dragged him from his much more civilized piano ensembles to this… this silly idea of a family reunion. Honestly, the only thing they had in common was their love of the beer- and that was more or less the only drink he could find in this gathering.

Prussia was still outside, hunting down their little master- Holy Roman Empire. For what, he may never know. Hopefully Prussia wasn't planning on making the child drink beer…

Well, now that he thought about it, Holy Roman Empire WAS older than Prussia… But that really didn't change the fact that he was in a child's body. Austria sometimes wondered if Holy Rome knew about taking shots.

Looking around the living room (they were holding the reunion at Holy Roman Empire's house, of course), he saw Finland slowly edging away from Sweden. Clearly, up until now, Finland was still intimidated by his captor. He wasn't even Germanic- Sweden must have dragged him along. Sweden didn't seem to mind too much though- he was too distracted to notice.

Saxony and Bavaria seemed fine. They were currently having a beer drinking contest. That was a very normal thing to expect if you were Germanic. They were built to endure several mugs of beer, 25 mugs at the max. Bavaria seemed to surpass those expectations tough. Saxony was ogling at him when Bavaria went for another mug.

Tearing his eyes away from the two, Austria directed his attention towards Switzerland. The blonde was quietly sipping his own mug of beer, his eyes bearing a weird sort of loneliness in them. It really tempted Austria to walk over there and talk to him, but right now he didn't really want to.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. Prussia- in all his awesome glory- strode in, holding a struggling Holy Roman Empire in one arm and clutching several bottles of beer in the other. Denmark came in not long after. Denmark was apparently helping Prussia in his ridiculous quest to drag their little master to the reunion.

A very foolish decision, if Austria would do say so himself.

"The awesome me has returned!" announced the albino.

"Who cares!" hiccupped Saxony, who apparently lost his drinking match with Bavaria. Austria had to agree with that remark.

"You all do! And I brought my little bruder with me too!" said Prussia- a bit more loudly this time-, lifting up Holy Roman Empire, who had now subjected to trying to bite Prussia's arm off him.

"Damnit Prussia, let me go!" yelled Holy Rome, his arms itching for the sword on his belt. "I'd call Hungary but then that would mean ending up the same way France did when he tried to rape Austria!" Austria shuddered at that last sentence- no matter how many times he would take a shower he can never get the filth off his nipples…

"Oh cry me a river Holy Rome, it's a family reunion! And that means being together with me and the rest of your awesome family!" said Prussia as he took a swig off one of the bottles in his one hand, maintaining his grip on Holy Rome. "And you know what that means, don't cha squirt?"

Of course, everyone in their family knew what that meant. Austria paled. They can't be serious-

"No Prussia, I am not going to partake in your beer-drinking! I really just want to go to sleep!" said Holy Rome, glaring at his younger brother with menace in his blue eyes.

"Hmmm… let me think about it- nah!" He then gestured to Sweden. "Yo, Sve, give the little guy one of the biggest mugs we have!"

"Prussia, no! He's only a child! He can't possibly take three liters of beer in that body!" argued Finland, clearly against the idea of letting a nation that small drink. Austria wanted to say something about this too, but Bavaria beat him to it.

"Bruder, I don't think you should do that. He won't be able to handle it." For someone who just won a beer-drinking contest he puts up a good argument.

But oh, he just touched a nerve. Holy Rome's expression immediately changed from hesitant to challenging.

"What do you mean I can't handle it?! Hand me that mug, I'll show you how it's done," said Holy Rome, finally released of Prussia's hold. Prussia helped him up on a chair, and gave him the three- liter mug, which Holy Roman Empire immediately started chugging.

Austria, who watched from a distance, shook his head in disapproval as he sipped some of his beer. This could only end so well…

L is for Lies

Characters: Italy Veneziano

Italy learned not to trust everything everyone said to him. Mainly because he thought that they were trying to trick him, and then it would all wind up in one, big, weeping heap of disappointment.

He blamed it on Holy Rome; when he realized that he was never going to come back from the war. How could he not? Holy Rome promised him he'd come back, didn't he? Then… why wasn't he here with him?

Italy's been asking himself that honest question for years, even after his Big Brother France broke the news to him.

'The Holy Roman Empire is no more,'… Those words hurt more than the full fury of Austria's whip. He felt like he'd died that day, there was no worse feeling.

When he got older, he started to doubt his faith in Holy Rome. Did he, perhaps, lie to him that he would come back to him?

He knew… didn't he? He knew that he wouldn't come back- maybe he only said that to make him feel better.

'It didn't!' Italy thought furiously. 'Did he even know how painful it was to wait for him? And how much it hurt when I was told that he wasn't coming back?'

It just wasn't fair! Giving him false hope, and then only disappointing him in the end?

If Holy Rome really didn't lie that he loved him, then why wasn't he back yet…? Did that kiss mean nothing to him?

Come to think of it… why would Holy Rome even fall for him in the first place? Was it just because he looked like a pretty girl? He didn't even know that he was a boy! If he did know… would he still even love him?

If their love was built upon that... then their love was just built on a lie.

Their love…

Their promise…

Their… everything.

Everything was just a stupid lie…

When Germany came into his life, he was careful to trust him. Maybe it was because he looked like Holy Roman Empire, he didn't know. All he worried about was if this new guy would lie to him like Holy Rome did.

But… just recently, whenever he looked straight into Germany's cerulean eyes, he wondered that maybe… just maybe…

Holy Roman Empire came back to him after all…?

Author's Note: My chapters get crappier and crappier the more I write them… I AM SO SORRY.

Oh, by the way, I'm sorry about leaving you guys on a cliffhanger the last time… I'm kind of stuck and I couldn't think of any words that start with K to fit with the side story. So that's kind of on hold for now.

School's also coming up, so I won't be updating as much. Not that I ever do, but let's say I might be updating at random times of the year. I'm sorry, but I'm really just disappointed in how badly my stories turn out. Not just that, my grades too. They're as awesome as ever, but I do believe that I could try harder.

Please bear with me, and I am very sorry if 'm being inconvenient with you.

Next chapter is AusHun chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia; it belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya-san.


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